Metanoia

I continue to slowly work my way through Richard Rohr's Things Hidden: Scripture As Spirituality. Here's a nugget of wisdom for you (emphasis mine):

"The unconverted ego wants one thing and one thing only: control--and it wants it now. It never wants to change, in fact, it hates change. Perhaps that is why Jesus puts metanoia (literally, "change your mind" or even "beyond your mind"!) at the very center of his proclamation. It is very unfortunate that this word has been historically translated as "repent" (Mark 1:15; Matthew 4:17). For moderns this word connotes strict moral stances, usually concerning so-called "hot" sins, instead of any actual transformation of consciousness. That's quite a loss, I would say." (p. 137)

I'd say so too.

Comments

[Jonathan Brink]

Mike, I read a lot about the nature of cognition. And science is beginning to confirm the nature of the neocortex is to create patterns in stories. The problem isn't when they are right, as in fire will burn you, but when we're wrong, as in our distorted image of God.

When we hold onto those destructive patterns, they literally distort our perceptions of the world and leave us oppressed. Repentance is a change in the story. It's critical to our biology.

[Ryan]

Huge. I'm re-posting it.